Data Center Investment News — 08/12/2023
KEVLINX Appoints New CEO To Promote Business Growth
KEVLINX, a new pan-European data centre operator, has appointed industry veteran Eric Boonstra as CEO. The firm, which recently secured investment from Macquarie Capital alongside PMV and its EPICo² fund, is currently constructing a highly scalable AI-ready 32 MW facility with a future-proof flexible design in Brussels, Belgium which is suitable for retail, wholesale and hyperscale customers.
Giovanni Della Pesca, Managing Director, Macquarie Capital said: “Eric brings significant experience and knowledge of the European data centre sector, and we are very pleased to see him join KEVLINX. We look forward to continuing working with Eric and supporting the KEVLINX team as they further establish the business within a fast-growing market.”
“There is a huge opportunity for a well-funded and experienced team to build out an advanced platform at pace in the European market just now, and I am delighted to say that KEVLINX has all the ingredients,” said Eric Boonstra. “Our team is designing for maximum efficiency, connectivity, power density and sustainability and I look forward to talking to cloud and AI players of all sizes, carriers, CDNs and enterprises to make sure we can deliver exactly what they need.”
Before taking on this role Eric Boonstra spent five years managing the EMEA business for Iron Mountain Data Centers, following their acquisition of EvoSwitch, where he spent a decade building a highly profitable business as CEO. Prior to EvoSwitch, Eric held senior management positions at Siemens, ABN Amro and Staples. He is also a member of various industry, government and policy boards including the Dutch Data Centre Association.
India’s Nxtra Launches Africa Data Centre Business
India’s Nxtra Data, a subsidiary of Bharti Airtel, has ventured into the African market with its data centre business.
Segun Ogunsanya, Airtel Africa’s Group CEO, said “Africa’s digital economy demands a rapid expansion in data centre capacity. We are proud to champion the future of Africa’s digital infrastructure, unlocking opportunities for businesses to flourish and fueling economic prosperity.”
This expansion marks Nxtra’s commitment to providing advanced data infrastructure in Africa, catering to the region’s growing digital needs.
DigitalBridge-Sponsored Vantage to Open in Taipei in 2024
Vantage, sponsored by DigitalBridge, is set to establish a data centre in Taipei by 2024.
Raymond Tong, president of Vantage Data Centers, APAC, said: “Taipei is a prime location to serve customers across Asia as demand across the region continues to skyrocket, especially given the use of modern technologies such as AI. Leveraging a skilled workforce, we look forward to opening the doors of this facility to continue building Taiwan’s digital hub and contributing to the market’s ongoing technological growth in sustainable ways. Vantage fully supports the government’s focus in adopting sustainable resources, and we are committed to reaching net zero carbon emissions across our global portfolio by 2030.”
This initiative reflects the growing importance of Taipei in the data centre industry and Vantage’s strategic expansion plans in the Asia-Pacific region.
Spain Hots Up on Data Centre Investors’ Books with Megascale Projects Pushing Forward
Spain is witnessing a surge in data centre investments with significant megascale projects gaining momentum.
According to local newspaper Heraldo de Aragón, the cloud computing hyperscaler has paid around €14 million for the land.
The change in ownership of the land was registered on 2 October in the land registry of La Almunia de Doña Godina, which manages the Centrovía industrial estate.
This trend highlights Spain’s emergence as a key player in the data infrastructure landscape, attracting substantial investments from various industry leaders.
EQT-Sponsored Startup to Build $650M Data Centre in Stockholm
A startup sponsored by EQT plans to construct a $650 million data centre in Stockholm, Sweden.
Dieter Sand, Arlandastad Group CEO, added: “evroc is an exciting company with a strong focus on sustainable development. We are pleased with the opportunity to jointly own and develop a property with evroc, which will attract global attention and become a new landmark for Stockholm with its architectural design. We are delighted that evroc has chosen Arlandastad and look forward to the next steps in our collaboration.”
This significant investment underlines Stockholm’s importance as a data hub and emphasizes the startup’s commitment to providing cutting-edge data solutions.
Novva Plots San Francisco Data Centre Expansion with $500M Acquisition
Novva, a data centre company, is expanding its presence in San Francisco through a $500 million acquisition.
This latest venture in San Francisco positions Novva as one of a group of core players in the northern bay region. Wes Swenson, Novva’s CEO, said: “This will be one of the greenest data centres ever created in the area and represents a very rare opportunity for clients to locate intelligent computing in one of the most important cities for software and hardware development in the world.”
This expansion strategy signifies Novva’s commitment to providing enhanced data services and infrastructure in the region.
Meta to Build $1Bn Arizona AI Data Centre
Meta (formerly Facebook) is planning to construct a $1 billion AI-focused data centre in Arizona, USA.
Currently, they are working on other Meta data centres in Texas, Virginia, and Tennessee.
The Phoenix region has seen a surge in data centre and manufacturing construction projects recently. Aside from Meta’s $1 billion data centre in Mesa, other major projects include a $600 million Google data centre and two semiconductor fabs worth $20 billion in Chandler.
This high demand for projects is leading to increased pressure on sourcing steel for smaller contractors.
This project highlights Meta’s investment in cutting-edge technology, emphasizing the importance of AI in their data operations.
Norway’s Green Mountain Finishes First TikTok Data Centre
Green Mountain in Norway has completed the construction of TikTok’s first data centre.
Green Mountain said it was working with industry and researchers to explore the possibility of reusing waste heat from the facility. “We are confident that we can maximize the benefits of the excess heat for the local community in the very near future,” Green Mountain chief sustainability officer Torkild Follaug said.
This achievement showcases Norway’s capability to provide sustainable and secure data solutions, attracting global tech giants like TikTok.
CyrusOne Breaks Ground on Fifth Frankfurt Data Centre
CyrusOne has initiated the construction of its fifth data centre in Frankfurt, Germany.
“It is a great privilege for CyrusOne to mark this important milestone and our ongoing development and expansion in Germany alongside such important regional leaders,” said Carsten Schneider, managing director for CyrusOne in Germany. “We are tremendously proud of what this development stands for, with sustainability and biodiversity central to the design and operation of the data centre.”
This expansion demonstrates the city’s significance as a data centre hub and CyrusOne’s commitment to meeting the increasing data demands in the region.
Kao Data Completes Second Harlow Data Centre
Kao Data has successfully completed the construction of its second data centre in Harlow, UK.
Kao Data chairman David Bloom said: “Today marks a significant step forward in Kao Data’s journey, and it’s rewarding to see our vision for the Harlow campus further evolving. As the data centre industry reaches a major inflexion point, it’s vital that the UK Government’s ambitions to become a world leader in AI and research are matched by world-class infrastructure, capable of supporting advanced workloads. Through the continued development of our high-performance data centre portfolio and our ethos for technical excellence, we believe that Kao Data will continue to play an integral role in the future of UK compute.”
This completion signifies Kao Data’s dedication to providing high-performance data services and enhancing the UK’s digital infrastructure.